Honest Advice for YOUR portfolio. =] (name changed)

NSFW

Terry King said

Nice work Gemmiev, you've echoed my thoughts on so many shots so stick me on your list and I look forward to a critique sometime in 2013 :)

Hi Terry King,

Lets start with this one as I have seen a few times but not commented.

This one is a bit cheesy for my liking personally, but as an image I think you have photoshopped it rather well. The paste merges with her body nicely, the line of her upper hip and thigh comes together well , maybe the lower leg and toothpaste could meet a bit smoother as the leg is straighter than the past which curves from half way down her thigh. The lighting is pretty good and I like that you have thought about the depth of field with the tube and some of the paste being out of focus. I'm not sure on the meaning behind the image, why would there be a girl squeezed from a tube of toothpaste? I could see this being used as an image to help people learn to blend the colours and line up the lines in photoshop but other than that I don't see an obvious message within the image.

This is so awesome, I love it more than chocolate icecream in a chocolate waffle cone. The purple shapes and the black work well together, this is quite an original way of doing this type of shot. I have seen many box shots which I have thought are cool but this one takes the biscuit because its more original in my opinion. This type of shot is a great way to show what a model can do and your lighting and post processing is well done.

This is a beautiful art nude, well lit and composed. Your model has done very well with her pose. I guess there was originally something supporting her back? as she only has her toes and the fingers on one hand to hold her up, otherwise she would have to be super strong and very well balanced. If she did have something supporting her, you have done a very good job editing it out. 

I don't think this one works as well as your other images, its a lot more obvious that the background has been put in and that the bird skull isn't actually on her head, or if it is it appears cut out and stuck on. her neck is too smooth in my opinion also and her necklace doesn't seem to sit right because it is quite detailed compared to her skin on her neck which almost looks 2d.

This is an interesting take on this idea. not sure on the outline but it does add a sort of comic book/cut out style to the image in my opinion. 

This is one of your weaker images in my opinion but mostly because the model doesn't connect well with the camera and looks bored/unsure of what to do.

This shot is really cool! I love the colours and the pose and expression, the lighting and framing are good also.

Your portfolio is quite varied, you seem to have a few styles you shoot, art nude/figure work, experimental photoshop work and then some conceptual stuff too you have a strong portfolio with maybe one or two photos that could be removed to keep up your quality of work. but overall a great body of work. I usually try and steer clear of using photoshop to make composite images or to edit creatively e.g your slick lady with a melting surface that she is sat on as it often looks cheesy or is difficult to do well. but you seem to have pulled off the vast majority of ideas you have done with photoshop the exception being the bird skull one in my opinion as it doesn't flow as well as the others. it's not as believable to me. There is an image called Lucretia also and the edited falling leaves aren't too convincing in my opinion. I quite like the shot without the leaves or maybe just edit the top left one as that one I feel would be more in focus than it is considering the positioning. Either that or a smidgeon of motion blur to get the effect you are going for?

Keep going, do your thing and I look forward to seeing what else you can produce.

Your work is good technically and conceptually and your photoshopping skills are pretty good too. :D

Hope this helps

Thank you, accurate observations as always :) You picked up the same niggle with Lucretia as I had but I put it up and people said don't worry about it, it's fine (but really wanted to redo it).  The outline on the three monkeys is caused by a ringflash, the only time I've ever used one. Ironically the one photoshop thing you didn't like, the birdskull, is actually there perched on her head, lol! I made it out of modelling clay but there is some additional texturing added in post. I was going for a painting look so the skin does look overly photoshopped but I did fail with the necklace, flowers and was a bit disappointed with the veil. But thanks for the comments, I will continue to push myself :D ...

Brads said

I'm game..... I hope... 

 

I don't have much here, but have more on Flickr, if you search brads1974. Am interested in what people think is better than I have on here and what should be dumped.

Hello,

lets start with this one from flickr which I think should definitely be in your PP portfolio:

Love the lighting, styling, pose and the props she is sitting on. The perspective works well also. She has a good connection with the camera. 

This one could be better if there was light on her left eye, a shot like this should really have both eyes well lit as they are the focus for the image and also as it seems to be shot in the studio so it should have been easy to do. The detail in the right eye(as we are looking at the image right handside) is lovely, the colour shows well and that is the focus if only the left handside was the same then this image would be stronger.

I really like this idea and the colours you have chosen. This shot is different and I think thats what makes it work, as well as your model and her pose and the lighting on your model which is also good. The only thing that I would suggest is to lighten the darker area on the left of the image as it is a little distracting on an otherwise light background.

It is good to see you are experimenting with negative space. I think if you were to apply the rule of thirds for this image it would be compositionally better. I would suggest having your model a tiny bit further into your image and maybe a little straighter as she seems to be leaning to one side. 

This is a good looking model and you have lit her well plus her hair and makeup look great, but compositionally I think this image could be better if her face was more central in the frame and the backdrop either side of her and above were more even in size, maybe a crop from the top and the right hand side of the image would be beneficial, but don't crop in any more on the right as it would be too close to her face for a comfortable looking crop.

I love the lighting in this shot and your model looks great in it. the contrast is good also and there are no blown out highlights. Great image.

For a low key image this shot is quite flat, I would suggest upping the contrast to define your model a little more.  

I would include this one from flickr in you PP portfolio also, the lighting is nice and the models expression is cheeky and captivating.

You have some good work in your portfolio, practice with composition and get to know the rule of thirds as I think this would really help you when shooting. Your lighting is pretty good and you are experimenting with it also which is always a good thing. 

I hope this helps.

Thanks for taking part.

Thank you for your feedback. I take your point in the ribbon shot, I did try to remove the dark area, but everything I did made it look false. In all honesty, the ribbon shots I have, I have had a nightmare editing them how I want. I had a concept, the model understood it and everything on the day went well, I just don't seem to be able to get what I want out of the edits...

Brads said

Thank you for your feedback. I take your point in the ribbon shot, I did try to remove the dark area, but everything I did made it look false. In all honesty, the ribbon shots I have, I have had a nightmare editing them how I want. I had a concept, the model understood it and everything on the day went well, I just don't seem to be able to get what I want out of the edits...

email over a fullsize ribbon pic to me and I'll see what I can do if you like? gemmiev@googlemail.com

Edited by Gemmiev

Thanks for your thoughtful comments, I think perhaps I should take a little more time to examine what I add to my portfolio!!

Masterpiece FX said

I'll give it a go... *Braces self*

hehe you don't need to brace!

I love that you have this posted on your portfolio it shows that you are thinking about what you want to produce. It makes me want to chat/work with you creatively.

good, tidy makeup, well thought out colours which work well with her skin tone and eye colour.

I think her makeup is good but I don't think the lighting does her justice because of the shadowy areas on her face and how stark the lighting is. Overall the image is a bit mediocre in my opinion of course.

Again because of the post production the models skin doesn't look great, its as if her pores, freckles etc have been over exaggerated and I'm pretty sure I have seen the model comment on this image somewhere claiming her skin looks awful. Maybe not a good shot for your portfolio as the retouching alters the look of the makeup due to contrast and tonal editing. Maybe re edit her skin to be smooth and reduce the tonal contrast to make her freckles less obvious and just keep the contrast on the rocks/background.

it seems as if the eye shadow on the right is more saturated than the eye shadow on the left. I would correct this to have a more consistent image.

Lovely makeup good use of colours and her skin has been nicely edit. 

Very striking I love your mix of eye shadow colours. They work well together. Her lip line on her bottom lip looks a bit harsh to the right, maybe a slight clone just to round it off will make it less noticeable? 

Overall your work is to a pretty high standard, you obviously are great at makeup and your are creative with your designs. I love the idea of putting your design process up with your final image too. When you retouch your images try and make sure it doesn't alter the make up too much as you are showing off both your retouching and makeup. If I plan to bring out a models freckles in a shoot I usually ask them beforehand if they mind so I don't upset them with it, maybe chat to the model who you have shot with and added the tonal contrast to and see what she thinks about the image? it's good for professional relations if you can keep her happy =]

I hope my comments help! I don't know much about makeup application so sorry for lack of comment on that but I have picked up on the colour, creativity and tidyness so hope this helps =]

I would like some opinions on my port please :)

I would love to know what you think of mine :) thanks

Lord James said

I often wonder how people judge pictures on here.  My most viewed image has three times as many views as the next most viewed, yet not a single love or comment.  On other sites it has received many favourable comments, 37 within half an hour of being posted on one site and many favourable comments on others but not on PP.

I think I probably have too many on here for a valid critique but after taking pictures for over half a century one amasses rather a large number of images in lots of different genres and styles.

If you dare take it on select a couple for critique.

Hello,

Lets start with your cover photo,

This is a nicely shot image, the composition is good and you have an interesting model. The highlight on the background at the bottom right of the image is a little distracting, it may be beneficial to use the patch or clone tool to edit it out. This is not the best image for your cover picture as it is appears fuzzy within the cover crop, try and find the best quality image you have for your cover as it is the first image people will see when they go to your profile and is the image that should entice people in to view your work. Using a landscape orientated image as your cover can help depending on the size of your image as it doesn't need to crop in so close to a small part of the image as it does on a portrait orientated image to fit the cover photo proportions. (I hope this makes sense, it's hard to explain)

Your models eyes appear to show movement blur and the overall editing on this image isn't great, her hair hasn't been cut out very well and there doesn't appear to be any connection between the background, styling and the model. 

You need more light on your models face in this image and she still has her hairband on her wrist which is one of the most basic model mistakes. Her nails are chipped and the image quality could be better. This shot would have been better with a reflector to get the light on her face and with a more experienced model. The concept behind the image is quite interesting. 

This image is very nicely lit and framed, it has a lovely uncluttered background with no distractions and a nice depth of field throughout the image. You have a lot of images in your portfolio that are similar and obviously from the same shoots to keep the variety in your portfolio I would suggest keeping the best images from each shoot up. Remember, quality over quantity.

You seem to have written your life story in your profile notes, having so much written is likely to put people off of reading it and it isn't necessary to write about every single camera you have used and what for. There is a post by Russ about what to include in your portfolio notes but I can't seem to find it at the moment. I will update this later with the link.

I always advise people to have separate portfolios for their landscapes, animals and portrait work as too many images all mixed in together can make your portfolio feel cluttered. I would suggest getting a flickr account or using a website for your non portraits and just using PP for portrait work as that is what you are likely to get work from with this website. Of course it is up to you what you post, this is just my opinion to add focus to your work. You could probably narrow down your portfolio to 10 photo's from your current portfolio and it would add quality and focus to your portfolio as a whole as at that moment it feels cluttered and as if you are trying to cram it to show all the different genres you can photograph.

I would suggest experimenting as much as you can with lighting in the studio and on location to get different set ups and images. Try high key and low key set ups, rim lighting, using a backlight etc. In my opinion, it is best to really nail your photographic technique before using photoshop to add backgrounds or to cut your models out as it is very hard to do well, especially without a concept to tie in the chosen background with the model and the props. Also concentrate on getting your focus perfect and avoid camera shake/movement blur by using 125th of a second or faster when shooting. 

You have worked with a good variety of models and you have some good references also, keep practicing with your lighting and maybe try recreating images that inspire you or think of a theme to shoot too. Maybe follow the competitions on pp and shoot for them?

I hope this helps. 

Thanks for taking part. 

Hi  Gemmiev,

Thank you for your comments - and being gentle :)

I note the comment about my cover picture.  I think is due to an anomaly in the conversion for PP.  A few have commented about the resizing.  This image was put up as 900x350 exactly but it has been resized to 898x350.  I know Russ is aware of the problem and it seems to make images fuzzy when viewed in Firefox.

Yes, I did see Russ' notes on writing for a profile and I was criticised for not having enough information in my original one which was about the third of the size of my current one!

The second image was just a bit of a fun one actually, of Amber Skyline and I was testing out Smart Photo Editor and introducing a few special effects. It was done very quickly so is not a precision edit.

The third shot did actually have a reflector in use but it was blowing half a gale and was very difficult to keep the illumination on the subject.

Rumour has it that at some stage Russ is going to introduce Albums to the portfolio page which will make things much easier to control and people will have more choice in what parts of a portfolio to view.

I am always experimenting with lighting in the studio and on location.  With studio flash the shutter speed is always set to 1/100th as it is not the camera that sets the exposure but the duration of the studio flash which is generally 1/1000th of a second or less - as short as 1/8,000th with some units. The shutter speed on the camera is set purely to ensure the shutter is fully open for the duration of the flash.  A faster shutter speed can crop one side of the image.  On the D200 a speed of 1/100th ensures the shutter is fully open.  1/125th is also probably OK but at 1/160th the shutter is creeping into the image,

I do follow the competitions and I have entered a couple.   I must find where the future competition topics are posted.

Once again thank you for your time.

Hugely engaging reviews - I'd really enjoy finding out what you think about my stuff.

Thanks

Paul

I wouldn't mind seeing what you think if you get the chance please Gemmiev :)

Sugar&Spice said

I can see from the above pages/comments that you are incredibly busy! Congrats on taking on such a mammoth task, if you get a chance, would love a critique. I am always wanting to improve my images/poses/styles. I can see an improvement in my work, but would love to progress. And taking on board other peoples opinions is always helpful :)

Many thanks!

Hi =]

Lets start with this one,

Your pose squashes your torso down and makes you appear short and squat, your legs look short too because of the pose. I would suggest replacing this photo or removing it as you have another similar image shot from a different angle, see below

Your expression is good at holding the viewer to the image but I feel the shot could have been framed better to include your heel in the image and aid the composition.

Nice to see you have experience on the catwalk =] Strong pose.

Not so sure of this image. Your expression is good, you connect well with the camera. The bright red fabric of the dress hanging down between your legs is distracting in my opinion and steals the eye away from your face because of where it is and how colourful and bright it is. 

This is a beautiful image. Lovely all round, lighting, composition, styling, your hair and makeup is lovely. Your expression is lovely and your eyes are beautiful =]

This image is overexposed and in my opinion lets the image quality of your portfolio down. As a model your pose is interesting and shows off the jewellery well. This comment applies to the image below too.

There is some strange black detail on the right hand side of the above image that is distracting.

This is a nice shot to show the different genres you are capable of. The styling is interesting, love the detail in your top.

Your hand looks a little awkward and your lip line could be tidier if I'm honest. Still a strong image. 

Just found this image. This one is stronger than the previous one and I usually advise people to keep one image from each shoot in their portfolio to keep the variety up. I would suggest keeping this one in as the angle works better in my opinion. A lovely image. You appear to be in charge in this image, I wouldn't mess with you :P

You have a mixed quality to your portfolio, some of your images are top notch and some of them are getting there, I would suggest working with the best photographers to keep your quality up in your portfolio. Try to avoid including images that are over/underexposed or have camera shake are out of focus, as a model it is good to show that you understand some of the image making process, that way, in my opinion, you can show you understand what the photographer is going for when shooting.

In relation to your modelling, Your expressions are quite varied, maybe a couple wild expressions fitting a theme for a shoot would be a good addition to your portfolio.

Keep shooting using the genres you have stated on your portfolio, some more full body images would help the variety in your portfolio as you have a lot of waist up images and head shots. Do you follow other models for ideas on posing? Ivory flame is a good model for full body poses if you did want to shoot some more.

You have a very strong look and I think you definitely have potential for modelling. 

Thankyou for taking part and I hope my comments are helpful to you. 

james graham said

hmm i'm either feeling brave or just tired and stupid but if you get the chance go for it with mine

Hello =]

I love how creative this styling and idea is. Love her makeup and eye contact. I maybe would have placed her in a setting to reinforce the idea behind her styling as the background doesn't seem to have any connection to her being a doll.

Nice lighting and interesting model. The grungy scene works well with the rock n roll styling. Good angle (although her leg looks a little shortened because of it) and use of depth of field is nice too as the detail in the background isn't distracting.

Very cool location. Nicely lit image. A good shot for your portfolio.

Nice composition. The contrast in this image is good. The lines in the background are a little distracting. Her hair is a bit messy and the shadow from her piercing is a little distracting once spotted, maybe clone out the stray hairs and the shadow. There is a strange highlight on the end of her nose and on her chin which doesn't match the lighting on the rest of her face, is this because the hair light is too far around the side of her face? Try to keep the light on your model's faces even unless you are obviously experimenting with light to get different effects.

Love the depth of field that you have used in this shot. The colours work really well together also. Gorgeous model.

Your lighting is pretty good overall, You have a good variety of models in your portfolio. I think you could remove the image with the lip piercing shadow to up the quality of your portfolio because in my opinion, the lighting is not as good as your other images.

I would love to see some more conceptual shots like the top image I posted. You have some really good images in your portfolio, keep shooting and adding more work to your portfolio but remember quality over quantity. =] Some more full body images would be a good addition for your portfolio in my opinion. 

Hope this helps